Decolonization and Independence Movements

Atlantic Charter

1941 statement outlining postwar goals of Allied powers

Comintern

International organization promoting worldwide communist revolution

Containment

US Cold War strategy to prevent communism spread

Truman Doctrine

1947 US policy supporting countries threatened by communism

National Fronts

Political coalitions for common goals or against a common enemy

COMINFORM

Soviet organization coordinating European communist parties

COMECON

Soviet economic organization in Eastern Europe

People's Republic of China

Communist government established in China in 1949

NSC 68

1950 US document outlining Cold War containment strategy

De-Stalinization

Reform process initiated by Khrushchev in the mid-1950s

Peaceful Coexistence

Khrushchev's policy promoting cooperation between blocs

Warsaw Pact

1955 military alliance by Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

Hungary 1956

Uprising against Soviet-backed government in Hungary

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

1963 agreement banning nuclear weapon testing

Viet Minh

Vietnamese communist organization founded by Ho Chi Minh

Dien Bien Phu

1954 battle leading to French withdrawal from Vietnam

Bandung Conference

1955 meeting promoting cooperation and opposing colonialism

FLN

National Liberation Front of Algeria, socialist organization for independence

Battle of Algiers

Crucial urban guerrilla campaign in Algeria's capital during independence struggle

French Union

1946 political entity granting autonomy to French territories

Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA)

Political party advocating African unity and independence in French West Africa

L'Exode (Algeria, 1962)

Mass departure of French settlers from Algeria post-independence

Pan-Africanism

Movement for African unity, independence, and progress globally

Service d'Action Civique

French paramilitary group combating nationalists in Algeria

Françafrique

France's political and economic influence over African ex-colonies

Arusha Declaration

Tanzanian socialist policy emphasizing equality and rural development

Biafran War

Conflict between Biafra and Nigeria leading to a humanitarian crisis

Keynesian Economics

Theory advocating government intervention in managing demand for stability

Bretton Woods

1944 conference establishing IMF, World Bank, and fixed exchange rates

European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan)

US initiative aiding post-WWII European economic recovery

Welfare Capitalism

Economic system combining capitalism with social welfare policies

Treaties of Rome

1957 treaties promoting economic cooperation in Europe

Le Grand "Non"

France's rejection of the European Constitution in 2005

Trentes Glorieuses

Three decades of post-WWII economic growth in Western Europe

Guided Capitalism

Economic system with government guidance for specific goals

Zaibatsu/Keiretsu

Japanese business conglomerates with cross-shareholding

Ministry for International Trade and Industry (MITI)

Japanese agency promoting industrial development post-war

The G7/G20

Groups of leading countries coordinating economic policies

Koumintang (KMT)

Major Chinese political party before Communist rise

Nixon Doctrine

US policy emphasizing allies' defense responsibility

Monroe Doctrine

US policy against European colonization in the Western Hemisphere

Good Neighbor Policy

FDR's policy improving US-Latin American relations

Guatemala Coup

US-backed overthrow of President Árbenz in Guatemala in 1954 due to perceived communist ties

26th of July Movement

Revolutionary group in Cuba led by Fidel Castro, overthrowing Batista in 1959

Dominican Republic Intervention

US military action in 1965 to prevent leftist government in the Dominican Republic

Liberation Theology

Christian movement in Latin America advocating against social injustice and poverty

FARC and Shining Path

Revolutionary guerrilla groups in Colombia and Peru aiming for communist regimes

Operation Condor

Covert intelligence operation by South American dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s

Second Wave Feminism

1960s-1970s feminist activism focusing on gender equality and reproductive rights

N.O.W.

Feminist organization advocating for women's rights and gender equality

Gulag Archipelago

Network of Soviet forced labor camps exposed by Solzhenitsyn

SNCC

Civil rights organization organizing protests and voter drives in the American South

Black Nationalism

Movement advocating for black empowerment and independence

Black Panthers

Socialist organization for black self-defense and community empowerment

Students for a Democratic Society

Student activist group advocating for social justice and opposing Vietnam War

COINTELPRO

FBI program surveilling and disrupting political organizations

March 22 Movement

Student-led protests in France in 1968 against capitalism and authoritarianism

Mexico City '68

Controversial 1968 Summer Olympics marked by political unrest and student protests

Prague Spring

1968 Czechoslovakia liberalization movement suppressed by Soviet invasion

Brezhnev Doctrine

Soviet policy allowing military intervention in threatened socialist countries

Baader-Meinhof Gang

Radical leftist group in West Germany pursuing anti-capitalist agenda

Khmer Rouge

Cambodian communist movement known for radical policies and genocide

Ostpolitik

West German policy improving relations with East Germany and Eastern Europe

Nixon Shock

Economic measures by Nixon in 1971 responding to economic challenges

OPEC and Oil Crisis

OPEC cartel and 1970s oil crisis leading to economic turmoil

SALT I and SALT II

US-Soviet talks limiting nuclear weapons proliferation

Helsinki Accords

Agreements promoting human rights and cooperation in Europe

Samizdat

Clandestine distribution of dissident literature in communist countries

Charter 77

1977 Czechoslovak human rights manifesto challenging government

Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan sparking a decade-long conflict

Soviet-Afghan War

Decade-long conflict sparked by Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

Solidarity

Polish movement advocating for workers' rights and democracy

Glasnost

Soviet policy allowing freedom of speech and expression

Perestroika

Soviet policy to modernize and decentralize the economy

Picnic at Sopron

Symbolic event near Hungarian-Austrian border aiding East German exodus

Velvet Revolution

Non-violent overthrow of communist rule in Czechoslovakia

German Reunification

Process of merging East and West Germany into one nation

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Regional organization of former Soviet republics post-dissolution

Apartheid

System of racial segregation in South Africa

National Conferences (Africa)

Political gatherings promoting democratization in African countries

Neoliberalism

Late 20th-century ideology favoring free markets and deregulation

Maastricht Treaty

1992 agreement deepening European integration

Desert Storm

Military operation to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation

Battle of Mogadishu

Engagement between US forces and Somali militia in Somalia

Srebrenica

Site of massacre during the Bosnian War

Dayton Accords

Peace agreements ending the Bosnian War in Dayton, Ohio

Hutus and Tutsis

Ethnic groups involved in the Rwandan Genocide

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

UN's judicial organ settling disputes between states

Iranian Coup of 1953

Covert operation overthrowing Iran's Prime Minister Mossadegh

White Revolution

Reforms in Iran under Shah Pahlavi to modernize the country

Iran Hostage Crisis

Diplomatic standoff between the US and Iran in 1979

IRA (Irish Republican Army)

Paramilitary group seeking Irish independence

Basque ETA

Basque separatist organization in Spain and France

Muslim Brotherhood

Transnational Islamist group advocating for Islamic governance

WikiLeaks

Organization publishing classified information for transparency

Tunisian Protests

Uprisings in Tunisia leading to President Ben Ali's ouster

Libyan Civil War

Conflict in Libya following the Arab Spring uprising

Syrian Refugee Crisis

Humanitarian crisis due to the Syrian Civil War

Northern Triangle

Region in Central America known for poverty and violence

Gilets Jaunes

Yellow Vests movement in France protesting economic issues